Inverleith book place in hockey play-off final

NIGEL DUNCAN

Inverleith hockey coach Stuart Neave was today looking forward to the final of the Scottish Division One indoor play-offs on Saturday, February 7 with confidence.

The reigning champions booked their place in the Perth showpiece with an 11-3 win over Paisley-based Kelburne, the Scottish outdoor champions, at the weekend.

They will face Grove Menzieshill in the final after they beat Dundee rivals Wanderers 6-3 in the other semi-final.

Neave said: “We played some of our best hockey of the tournament to win the game over Kelburne.”

Earlier, Aedan McCrossan hit four as Inverleith beat Clydesdale 8-1 in their final Pool A game. Neave said: “Aedan was on fire but we were 3-2 down to Kelburne in the semi-final despite starting the game well.

“Dougie Simpson scored a fantastic penalty corner early on, firing the ball into the postage stamp.

“They had a good side out with Scottish internationals Chris Nelson, Johnny Christie, Iain Scholefield, Michael Bremner and the two Morton boys, but we addressed the problems at the break.

“Then we played a great 20 minutes of hockey to win and reach the final.”

He added: “We watched Grove Menzieshill and they are a good side but we are playing well.”